CALI•FOR•NIA 2014

This past week I took a very much needed vacation to California with my entire family. 

The crazy thing is that it has been two whole years since that has happened! crazy right?!

We stayed with some family in Oceanside and just bummed on the beach. And if you know me at all you'll know that is my favorite thing to do. ever. 

I love the water, the waves, the sand, the sun, and the crazy hair you get from the ocean. I love it all! 

I really wish I would have had more time on the beach, but I had to come back to reality. 

Although, this trip has only made my desire to live near the beach even bigger! 

My goal: byu Hawaii for a semester, then transfer to byu Provo and then be able to study abroad. 

Big dreams, I know.. I can make them happen though. I just need to save my money;) 

Keep your fingers crossed for me! Maybe I should lock up my credit card! 

XOXO,

ally

reading {&you}

this last semester, i was in a public speaking class that required us to give a persuasive speech of our own choosing. and what do you think i picked? that right, 'why you should be reading!' and would you like to know what i found while researching this, well you don't really have a choice because I'm telling you anyways... ready, set, go:

1. reading actually lowers your stress levels quicker tun anything else. 

2. reading boosts creativity in children and young adults.

3. reading can help with spelling and vocabulary skills, as well as comprehension abilities. (this is one reason why it is a good idea to get your children reading.)

4. reading can boost your empathy and put you in a better mood. (it is also proven that these 'better moods' will last longer because books will leave you feeling like you have been impacted in some way. i mean look at me, i still can't get over Divergent. )

these were just a few of the things i found, but don't they make you think "hmm..i really should be reading!"  i mean thats how i feel. and thats how you should feel because it true! i can guarantee that books are the reason why i have always succeeded in my english classes. reading is a stimulant to the brain, just like our bodies, our brains need a workout and that what reading is. 

this is where i present my challenge to you

thats right, i challenge you...i challenge you to read at least five books this summer. seem hard? well its really not. you don't have to choose GIANT books, but i don't want you choosing Green Eggs and Ham either. choose something that will interest you. something that will grab your attention and leave you hooked. something that will make you cry, laugh, scream, anything. because i know that if you read, you won't regret it!

"but what if i don't know what to read? how am i supposed to read then?" well, luckily for you, i have read a plethora of books in my lifetime. (i really just love that word right now.) throughout this next week or so, i will be posting several different reading lists of books i recommend for kids, adults, and everyone in-between. plus, ill still be posting the reviews of the books i am currently reading!

ally

ps. don't forget to check out my personal reading list that i posted a while back, if you feel as if you can't wait any longer, check there and I'm sure you will find a book!

i am simply a book drunkard...

last night as i sat on my bed reading Allegiant, of the Divergent series, it occurred to me just how much i enjoy reading. i have spent the past week starting and finishing the Divergent series, which let me tell you are amazingly sad and happy at the same time. some of the same emotions i felt while reading The Hunger Games, i felt while reading this book. and yet, they were so very different, i loved different things about all of them. but just like The Hunger Games, they had to end bittersweet. yes, the ending was good, but i can't seem to get over how sad it was. after i finished the last book yesterday, i spent the remainder of the night crying over the people i had lost.

i know i know, they aren't real, its a fake story, but to me its like i became a part of the story and watched it unravel to pieces. 

WARNING 

if you have not read the books please skip until i tell you it is safe to begin again:

alright, i handled it when i knew Uriah was going to die, i handled it when i thought Tris and Tobias were going to break up, but i completely lost it when i realized what Tris was going to do for her brother. he wasn't going to die for everyone out of love, but because of guilt. and Tris knowing that that shouldn't be the case, sacrificed herself for everyone. from that point on i had a continuous stream of tears running down my face. i was hoping that she wasn't really dead and would somehow comeback, but no, it wasn't written that way. 

i am still grieving over this death and for Tobias. it makes me mad that she was killed off, after making it so far, why couldn't she have lived, why? her and Tobias could have made a life for themselves and i wouldn't be left with these sad and depressing thoughts about the books. but then again, the books weren't sad or depressing, they were great, why else would i have finished them in less than a week. they have everything that i love in a book, danger, thrills, love, fights, humor, you name it. so even though they left me feeling bitter, i can see them being one of my favorite series. i may even reread them, once my mourning period is over of course.

alright you can BEGIN again.

"You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel as if you have lost a friend" -Paul Sweeny

that is exactly how i feel at this point, and how i feel after every book I've read. but its those feelings that make me excited to begin a new book. ill visit new lands and new adventures, meet new people and learn new things. and shouldn't that be what reading is all about?

alright, so i was reading a book blog the other day and the blogger was saying how she has given herself a goal of reading 14 book for the year of 2014, well to me that seemed really low! but then again, who has time to spend all day reading, i mean, i wish i did, but lets get real. so my goal to myself isn't limited to a certain number. i just want to read books that make me happy whenever possible. starting now i will try and always have a book that i am reading, and that shouldn't be too hard considering my "Books To Read" list is quite long. 

along with that, i am going to try and review every book i read, some may be long reviews and some small but either way, i will try. 

yours truly

ally